HISTORY repeats itself like a broken record.
Before, it was conjugal dictatorship and cronies. Then, it was Kamag-anak, Inc.
Now, we call it political dynasty. Really, there's nothing new under the sun.
The Estradas had set a bad precedent when mother and son won simultaneous seats
in the Senate. In the recent election, we saw senatoriables with kin already s
itting in the Senate. That's one the reasons why I did not vote for Alan Cayeta
no, Vic Magsaysay and Koko Pimentel (See my previous blog entry: http://inquirerbloggers.net/eleksyon2007/2007/05
/16/why-i-did-not-vote-for-pichay-cayetano-et-al/).
In our country, we see fathers sitting as mayors with their children sitting as
congressmen. In one city, four brothers ran for mayor, congressmen for both of
its districts, and party-list representative. When the local official finishes
his third term, he makes his wife run for the position. Then we also discover
that some of the nominees of the party-lists are children of congressmen.
Why do we tolerate this? Before the election I went to Bicol. I asked a pedicab
driver why he would vote for Dato Arroyo. He answered, "Siyempre anak siya
ng pangulo. Eh di mas malakas sa taas." (Of course, he is the son of the
president. So he must be well-connected up there.) What if Dato loses this ele
ction? Does that mean the President will neglect that district in Bicol? That i
s why political dynasty is so unfair.
Now, these politicians claim that there's no law against it. Granted, it may no
t be illegal. But it is immoral. Democracy is about equality. Where is equality
in political dynasty? Is there equality when power is concentrated on just a f
ew influential families? I heard Alan Cayetano say that kings pass on power to
their sons. Mr. Cayetano, we are not under a monarchy. Well, at least in a mona
rchy, the king dies first before the prince takes over. Why not wait for your s
ister to step down before you run for senator? How can siblings (or father and
son as in the case of the Pimentels) be a fair representative of the entire cou
ntry? Where's equality in that?
They claim that they are qualified. Fine. "Sila lang ba ang mga anak ng Diy
os?" (Are they the only children of God?) Are they the only ones qualified
? Plus, they are not just banking on their qualifications. They are taking adva
ntage of name recall. That's undue advantage. Did they focus solely on their qu
alifications in their campaign? Really now? Did the voters vote for them solely
because they are qualified?
Senator Aquilino Pimentel Jr. claimed that political dynasty is not prohibited
by the ten commandments. Well, Mr. Senator, it is. God said, "Thou shalt no
t steal." Isn't political dynasty stealing the opportunity to serve from o
thers?
At least, Senator Panfilo Lacson had the moral courage not to allow one of his
sons to run for a local elective position. He told his son not to run while he
is a senator.
It seems to me that it's all about power. I believe they just could not let go
of power, that they just want to perpetuate themselves in power, that they lust
for power so much that they want more of it. That's why any anti-dynasty bill
is doomed to failure even before it is put on paper.
Recently in Chiz Escudero Category
WE need a leader who has a vision for the nation like Chiz. Yes, it sounds
ideal but I am still confident that this archipelago is still far from a waste
land because of him. Filipino voters will now be more intelligent and vigilant
this time, and can no longer get fooled by the stupendous antics and nonsense f
anfares of the preening lady in Malacanang -- ambitious yet unqualified.
The youth sector is now becoming more involved with the affairs of the society
because of Chiz. Chiz is undoubtedly now the man, (or to include other noble me
n and women aspirants) one of the very few "real" candidates who will ignite th
is uprising, movement or revolution in Philippine politics --crisp and fresh--
with a definitive thrust enriched with unwavering enthusiasm to be the voice of
Filipinos in the Senate.
I'm praying Chiz will not fail us in the coming years (more importantly) and st
ay consistent with his dreams for this side of the planet as he prepares his wa
y to the presidency when that time comes.
